From March 6th through the 14th this year, the entire Tampa Bay area will celebrate Tampa Bay Beer Week. Since 2012, this annual 8-day event starts the first Saturday every March. Over the last decade, TBBW has hosted hundreds of events ranging from beer festivals, to brewing competitions, to charity and educational events. And while this year may be less extravagant, it’s certain to provide some pretty awesome beer experiences.
In light of the pandemic, this year’s TBBW will have a more back-to-basics kind of feel. While the week will still host dozens of special events, they will be more intimate in nature. Special brew samples, bottle releases, and tap takeovers will remain a staple. But naturally, social distancing and other safeguards will be in place. In this regard, it might just be one of the more unique TBBWs in a while.
While TBBW is celebrated throughout the Tampa Bay area, St. Petersburg is home to many of this week’s events. On March 10th, Cycle Brewing had its annual Rare DOS bottle release. On the same day, Arkane Brewing held its Arkane in the Membrane event, and Flying Boat Brewing Company hosted TBBW Trivia Night. Hawthorne Bottle Shop is also celebrating TBBW with two events. On March 12th, they’re sponsoring Wake Up with Wakefield (compliments of J.J. Wakefield Brewing). Civil Society Brewing Company (out of Jupiter, Florida) is also performing a tap takeover at HBS on March 13th.
Regardless of whether you make it to one of the festive TBBW events this week, it’s always a great time to celebrate St. Petersburg’s beer culture. Downtown itself has over a dozen craft breweries and a number of outstanding tap houses and bottle shops. If you’re new to the area, or even if you want to explore a few breweries, check out St Pete Biking Tours’ Brewery Tour. It’s a great way to explore some of downtown’s best breweries while getting to know the city better. Until then, here’s to a great Tampa Bay Beer Week. Cheers!
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